In
the weeks leading up to the draft, Perfect Game will be providing a
detailed overview of each state in the U.S., including the District
of Columbia, as well as Canada and Puerto Rico. These overviews will
list the state's strengths, weaknesses and the players with the best
tools, as well as providing scouting reports on all Group 1 and 2
players as ranked in Perfect Game's state-by-state scouting lists.

Appling
County High outfielder Byron Buxton is considered a near lock to be
among the top 2-3 picks nationally and should be joined by about 15
other in-state prospects in the first five rounds of this year’s
draft.
While it is still considered a solid year for the country’s fourth-most
productive talent-producing state, things could have bordered on
great with a few less injuries to top players and a few more
consistent performances by players on the fringe of the top 10
rounds.
Injuries to two college players, Georgia Southern outfielder Victor
Roache and Georgia Tech righthander Luke Bard, could cost the state a
pair of first-round picks. Roache, the NCAA Division I home-run
leader as a sophomore, has missed most of the 2012 season after
breaking his left wrist on Feb. 25, and it’s possible he may not
return to game action prior to the draft. Bard’s name was beginning
to be tossed around as a potential first-rounder when his fastball
started reaching 97 mph with some consistency, but he left a start in
early April with a strained lat muscle and was expected to be out of
action for 6-8 weeks. Injuries also took a toll on the high-school
crop as Ringgold High lefthander Matt Crownover, a projected
third-rounder, underwent Tommy John surgery in March and is now
likely headed for college at Clemson.
Roache’s Georgia Southern
teammate, righthander Chris Beck, who began the 2012 season ranked
among the top 10 picks nationally; along with prep righthanders Lucas
Sims, Duane Underwood and Clate Schmidt give the state a strong group of power arms, although all four haven't been as consistent as scouts would like to see. How they perform over the final 6-7 weeks leading up to the draft may go a
long way to determining whether any of them can crack the top round.
Most of the elite college programs in the state have experienced down
seasons. Georgia and Georgia Tech were 24-16 and 24-17, respectively,
entering the final month of April, but both had sub-.500 records in
conference play. There were particularly high hopes for Georgia
Southern with potential first-rounders Beck and Roache leading the
way, but the Eagles were only 22-19 through 41 games. Each of those
schools is on the bubble for post-season NCAA berths, and the
distinct possibility exists that Georgia will go unrepresented this
year in tournament play.Georgia
in a nutshell:
STRENGTH:High-school athletes, premium high-velocity arms.WEAKNESS:College standouts, injuries.OVERALL
RATING
(1-to-5 scale): 4.
BEST
COLLEGE TEAM:University of Georgia.BEST
JUNIOR-COLLEGE TEAM:Middle Georgia.BEST
HIGH SCHOOL TEAM:Columbus HS.
PROSPECT
ON THE RISE: Alex Wood, lhp, University of Georgia.Wood was red-shirted in 2010 after undergoing Tommy John surgery as a
high-school senior, but was thrown into the Friday-night role for
Georgia last year as an untested freshman. Predictably, he struggled
at times, going 6-7, 4.41 in 93 innings. He has turned the corner
this spring, posting a 5-1, 2.57 record with 69 strikeouts and only
14 walks in 67 innings. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Wood’s fastball
touches 96 mph and is first-round quality. Everything could play in
his favor as this is not a strong year nationally for lefthanded
pitching.
WILD
CARDS: Chris Beck, rhp / Victor Roache, of, Georgia Southern
University.Georgia Southern was looking forward to a banner year with two likely
first-round picks in Beck and Roache, but that optimism was tempered in late February when Roache (.412-2-5, 7 BB in 6 G)
broke his left wrist diving for a ball in the outfield. Not only was
Roache, who led the nation with 30 home runs a year ago, potentially
lost for the season, but Beck (4-4, 3.82) hasn't been as consistently dominant. Where the duo is drafted now is
uncertain, though there is still first-round interest in
both.
BEST
OUT-OF-STATE PROSPECT, Georgia Connection:James Ramsey, of, Florida State University (Attended high school in
Alpharetta).Top
2013 Prospect:Daniel Palka, 1b, Georgia Tech.Top2014
Prospect:
Kel Johnson, of, Palmetto (home-schooled).HIGHEST
DRAFT PICKS
Draft
History:Ron Blomberg, 1b, Druid Hills HS, Atlanta (1967, Yankees/1st round, 1st pick); Mike Ivie, c, Walker HS, Decatur (1970, Padres/1st round, 1st pick); Tim Beckham, ss, Griffin HS (2008, Rays/1st round, 1st pick).2006
Draft: Brooks
Brown, rhp, University of Georgia (Diamondbacks/1st round; 34th pick).2007
Draft: Matt
Wieters, c, Georgia Tech (Orioles/1st round, 5th pick).2008
Draft: Tim
Beckham, ss, Griffin HS (Rays/1st round, 1st pick).2009
Draft: Donavan
Tate, of, Cartersville HS (Padres/1st round, 3rd pick).2010
Draft: Delino
DeShields Jr, of/2b, Woodward Academy, College Park (Astros/1st round, 8th pick).2011
Draft: Jed
Bradley, lhp, Georgia Tech (Brewers/1st round, 15th pick).

1. BYRON BUXTON, of,
Appling County HS, Baxley.Buxton has wowed scouts
with his superior athletic ability and raw tools this spring, even
playing against small-school competition in rural southeastern
Georgia. It’s rare that scouts will drop multiple grades of 80
(highest possible score on the traditional 20-80 scouting scale) on a
prospect, but Buxton is so talented that he may be one of the few.
For sure, he’s an 80 runner, and tossing an 80 on his arm strength
and defensive skills in center field wouldn’t be an exaggeration of
those tools, either. He has plus raw bat speed, as well, although his
hitting tool doesn’t presently rank among the elite players in the
2012 high-school class. Scouts believe his power potential warrants a
significant grade, too, but are openly wondering why Buxton hasn’t
hit a single home run this spring. Teams at the very top of the draft
board have Buxton in their deliberations, and he is a very safe bet
to be among the top few selections.

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